Journalist

PARK, JONG-HO
  • South Korea Eyes First Multiple Medals in Skiing, Snowboarding at Milan-Cortina 2026
    South Korea Eyes First Multiple Medals in Skiing, Snowboarding at Milan-Cortina 2026 South Korea are aiming for a first-ever multiple-medal haul in Olympic skiing and snowboarding at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Games.   Kim Sang-gyeom of High1 won silver in the men’s snowboard parallel giant slalom on Saturday (local time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, giving South Korea their second Olympic medal in skiing and snowboarding.  It was the first medal for South Korea in those sports in eight years, after Lee Sang-ho won silver in the same event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, the country’s first podium finish in 58 years of Olympic participation. Lee, initially seen as the top medal hope, was eliminated in the round of 16, but Kim’s runner-up finish lifted the team’s outlook for the remaining events.  With more events ahead, South Korea are now looking to win at least two medals in skiing and snowboarding at a single Olympics for the first time. Several athletes born in the 2000s are set to compete across multiple disciplines. Snowboard halfpipe qualifying begins Tuesday. The event is judged on aerial tricks performed on a sloped, half-cylinder course. While it has long featured global stars such as Shaun White and Chloe Kim of the United States, South Korea’s Choi Ga-on of Sehwa High School and Lee Chae-woon of Kyung Hee University have recently shown promise internationally.  Choi has won three International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup events this season and is leading the women’s halfpipe standings, making her a gold-medal contender.  Lee has dealt with injuries, but he won men’s halfpipe gold at the 2023 world championships as the youngest champion and won slopestyle at last year’s Harbin Asian Winter Games.  In snowboard big air, Yoo Seung-eun of Seongbok High School took silver in an FIS Snowboard World Cup event in December in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was the first South Korean to reach the podium in World Cup big air.  South Korea also see medal potential in freestyle ski halfpipe, with Lee Seung-hoon of Korea National Sport University, the gold medalist at last year’s Harbin Asian Winter Games, competing in the event.  Men’s freestyle ski moguls is another target. Qualifying begins Monday. Moguls features a course covered with roughly 1-meter-high bumps, with athletes racing downhill and performing aerial spins off jumps. Jung Dae-yoon of the Seoul Ski Association, who has earned podium finishes at the world championships and World Cup, is seeking South Korea’s first Olympic medal in freestyle skiing. The Games also include dual moguls, in which two skiers race head-to-head, and Jung is also in contention there, with that event scheduled for Feb. 15.    * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-09 02:54:00
  • South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung Congratulates Snowboarder Kim Sang-gyeom on First Milan 2026 Medal
    South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung Congratulates Snowboarder Kim Sang-gyeom on First Milan 2026 Medal President Lee Jae Myung congratulated South Korean snowboarder Kim Sang-gyeom after Kim won the nation’s first medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics.  In a message posted Monday on social media, Lee said South Korea’s first medal of the Games had been secured and offered his congratulations to Kim for taking silver in the men’s parallel giant slalom.  Lee said Kim had spent years training for races decided by fractions of a second, refining his technique and tuning his equipment on harsh snow. He added that Kim reached the Olympic podium on his fourth attempt since the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.  Lee called the result especially meaningful because it was South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal. He also said it was the country’s second silver medal in snow events, showing South Korea are becoming competitive beyond ice sports.  On Sunday in South Korea, Kim won silver at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy, finishing 0.19 seconds behind Benjamin Karl of Austria in the final.  It was South Korea’s first medal of the Games and the country’s second Olympic medal in skiing and snowboarding, the first in eight years. Lee said Kim’s medal would give the entire South Korean team courage and confidence as more athletes compete. He added that he would join the public in cheering for South Korea through the final day of the Olympics. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-09 01:27:00
  • South Korea’s Lee Jun-seo Finishes 58th in Olympic Skiathlon as Norway’s Klaebo Wins Gold
    South Korea’s Lee Jun-seo Finishes 58th in Olympic Skiathlon as Norway’s Klaebo Wins Gold South Korea’s Lee Jun-seo of Gyeonggi Provincial Government finished 58th in the men’s 10 km + 10 km skiathlon at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, while Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won his sixth career Olympic gold medal. Lee posted 53 minutes, 39 seconds in the race held on Feb. 8 (Korea time) at the cross-country stadium in Tesero, Italy. The skiathlon combines two cross-country techniques: classic and freestyle. Athletes race the first half in classic style, then switch to freestyle at the midpoint. Competing in his first Olympics, Lee had aimed for a top-50 finish but fell short. He did, however, complete the race without being lapped and eliminated under the event’s lap rule. Klaebo won in 46:11, finishing 7 minutes, 28 seconds ahead of Lee. After taking three gold medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and two golds at the 2022 Beijing Games, he opened this Olympics by adding another title. Klaebo stayed near the front early, slipped to fourth in the middle stages, then surged late to secure the win. Biathlon great Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and cross-country standouts Bjoern Daehlie and Marit Bjoergen each have eight career Olympic gold medals; Klaebo would tie them with two more. Mathis Desloges of France took silver in 46:13, and Norway’s Martin Loewstroem Nyenget won bronze in 46:13.1. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-09 00:33:00
  • South Korea’s Lee Ui Jin, Han Da Som Fail to Finish Women’s Skiathlon at Milan-Cortina Olympics
    South Korea’s Lee Ui Jin, Han Da Som Fail to Finish Women’s Skiathlon at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korean cross-country skiers Lee Ui Jin (Busan Metropolitan City Hall Sports Council) and Han Da Som (Gyeonggi Provincial Government) failed to finish their events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Competing in the women’s 10km + 10km skiathlon at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Tesero, Italy, on Feb. 7 (Korea time), Lee covered 13.3 kilometers in 43:37.8 and Han 11.8 kilometers in 41:19.4 before both were pulled after being lapped. Under skiathlon rules, athletes who are caught by the leaders by a full lap are removed from the race. Both South Koreans reached the midpoint but were lapped afterward, falling short of their goal of finishing in the top 50. Lee passed the halfway mark in 22nd out of 70 but was overtaken as rivals surged in the freestyle portion. Lee and Han were listed 54th and 64th. Nordic powers dominated the medals. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson won gold in 53:45.2, followed by teammate Ebba Andersson in 54:36.2. Norway’s Heidi Weng took bronze in 55:11.9. The 10km + 10km skiathlon combines two techniques: classic skiing in set tracks and freestyle skating. Athletes switch from classic to freestyle at the midpoint. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 23:15:00
  • Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen wins first gold of Milan-Cortina Olympics in men’s downhill
    Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen wins first gold of Milan-Cortina Olympics in men’s downhill Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen won the first gold medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, taking the men’s downhill on Friday at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, Italy. Von Allmen finished in 1 minute, 51.61 seconds to beat 33 other starters. Born in 2001, he won gold in his first Olympic race. “It feels like a scene from a movie. It doesn’t feel real,” he said after the race. “It’s hard to put into words what this gold medal means to me. I think it will sink in a few days after the Games are over.” Von Allmen has competed on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup since 2023 and has five World Cup downhill wins across last season and this season. He also won the men’s downhill title at the Alpine skiing world championships in Saalbach, Austria, in February last year. He arrived in strong form after winning the final pre-Olympics World Cup downhill on Feb. 1 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Switzerland have now won back-to-back Olympic men’s downhill golds, following Beat Feuz at the 2022 Beijing Games. Host nation Italy took silver and bronze in the first medal event of the Olympics. Giovanni Franzoni was second in 1:51.81, and Dominik Paris was third in 1:52.11. Swiss skier Marco Odermatt, who leads the men’s overall standings this season with three downhill wins, three giant slalom wins and two super-G victories, placed fourth in 1:52.31. 2026-02-07 21:27:00
  • South Korea’s culture minister says Milan Olympics opening ceremony felt “thrilling”
    South Korea’s culture minister says Milan Olympics opening ceremony felt “thrilling” South Korea’s culture minister, visiting venues for the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, said he felt “thrilled and proud” after attending the opening ceremony. Choi Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism, visited the Olympic Main Press Center (MPC) and International Broadcast Center (IBC) at the Allianz MiCo convention center in Milan on Friday morning local time, meeting and encouraging South Korean reporters covering the Games. “I attended the opening ceremony the day before, and you really feel something on site,” he said. “When the South Korean team marched in, I felt thrilled and proud.” Choi arrived in Italy on Feb. 4 and attended the opening ceremony at San Siro Olympic Stadium as the South Korean government’s representative. South Korea sent a 130-member delegation and entered 22nd among 92 national Olympic committees, led by flag bearers Cha Jun-hwan (figure skating) and Park Ji-woo (speed skating). Choi said he waved at the athletes as they entered the stadium and later saw himself on the broadcast. “I was just happy to see them and only clapped, but later I saw the camera caught me,” he said. “If I’d known, I think I would have held a Taegeukgi.” On Feb. 5, Choi visited a meal-support center in Milan and attended the opening of Korea House at Villa Necchi Campiglio. He said athletes had expressed disappointment with meals at the athletes village and hoped the meal-support center would open. “I tried it myself, and it was good,” he said, adding that heated lunch boxes will be introduced to help athletes. Choi planned to visit the Milan ice skating arena Friday afternoon to cheer for Cha during the men’s singles short program in the figure skating team event. He is scheduled to return to South Korea on Saturday after completing his itinerary. Choi also said he plans to visit the site again for the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Paralympics, which open March 6. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 21:00:00
  • Many Russian-Born Athletes Compete at Milan-Cortina Olympics After Switching Nationalities
    Many Russian-Born Athletes Compete at Milan-Cortina Olympics After Switching Nationalities Although Russia, stripped of eligibility by the International Olympic Committee, sent 13 athletes to the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), the number of Russian-born competitors at the Games appears to be far higher. The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 6 that many Russian-born athletes competing in Milan-Cortina changed nationality after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, concerned that nationality issues could block their Olympic medal hopes. Olympic historian Bill Mallon estimated about 40 Russian-born athletes are competing at these Olympics, more than triple the number entered under AIN status. Most are representing countries near Russia, including Kazakhstan, Armenia and Georgia, the report said. All three members of Moldova's biathlon team were born in Russia, making up more than half of Moldova's five-athlete delegation. Moldova is a small Eastern European country between Romania and Ukraine. About two-thirds of Georgia's delegation is also Russian-born, the WSJ said. It includes ice dancers Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin, who competed for the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The newspaper said they had tried to skate for the United States but ultimately chose Georgia. In figure skating, long seen as a Russian strength, many Russian-born athletes have also switched nationalities. They are now spread across the teams of Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. In pairs, 28% of competitors are Russian-born. Some have criticized the nationality switches. Dmitry Vasiliev, a Russian biathlete, said, "You have only one homeland — the place you were born," adding, "Russians feel comfortable only in Russia," according to the report. IOC President Kirsty Coventry has also suggested Russia's ban could be lifted. In a speech to the IOC session on Feb. 3, Coventry did not mention Russia directly but said, "We are a sports organization," and stressed that sport should remain a neutral arena. The New York Times noted her remarks came as the IOC recently allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2026 Dakar Summer Youth Olympics, and as FIFA President Gianni Infantino argued Russia should return to international competitions. The NYT described the comments as a sign of a possible return for Russia, a sports power that has been sidelined for more than a decade, saying Russia's isolation in international sports may soon end.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 19:21:00
  • Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan named top most handsome male athlete for 2026 Milan Olympics list
    Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan named top 'most handsome' male athlete for 2026 Milan Olympics list South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) has been picked as the No. 1 “most handsome” male athlete among competitors set to appear at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Vogue Hong Kong published a roundup on Thursday (local time) titled “2026 Milan Winter Olympics: 13 most handsome male athletes,” saying it was looking at standout male athletes representing countries around the world and releasing its ranking. The magazine placed Cha, a leading name in South Korea’s men’s singles program, at the top. It described him as having “sharp lines” and a “restrained” presence with a “clean, cool” look, adding that he “transforms into a completely different person” the moment he steps onto the ice. Vogue Hong Kong also noted Cha’s background as a child actor and model, saying his experience in front of the camera helps him deliver a polished performance. It said it expects “clean quad jumps” and “bolder step sequences” from him at the Games. Cha made his Olympic debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, finishing 15th in men’s singles. He climbed to fifth at the 2022 Beijing Games and is preparing for this Olympics with a medal as his goal. Others named on Vogue Hong Kong’s list included Norway cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, Japan snowboarder Ayumu Hirano, Hungary-born short-track skater Shaoang Liu, who competes for China, France ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, Italy men’s singles skater Daniel Grassl and U.S. men’s singles skater Ilia Malinin. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 18:27:00
  • Norovirus spreads at Milan-Cortina Olympics, Swiss women’s hockey player tests positive
    Norovirus spreads at Milan-Cortina Olympics, Swiss women’s hockey player tests positive Norovirus infections are spreading at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, following a cluster in Finland’s women’s ice hockey team and a new case in Switzerland’s women’s team. The AP reported that one Swiss women’s player tested positive for norovirus and that the entire team was placed in isolation, causing them to miss the Olympic opening ceremony. The player returned a positive test after Switzerland’s game against the Czech Republic on Feb. 6. Finland’s women’s team was hit ahead of the opening. As a result, its game against Canada that had been scheduled for Feb. 5 was postponed to Feb. 12. At the time, 13 Finnish players were isolated, leaving only eight skaters and two goalies able to take part in training. With the number in isolation later dropping to nine, Finland trained with 11 skaters and three goalies. Finland is expected to play the United States as scheduled on Feb. 8. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 16:36:00
  • South Korea’s Shin Ji-a Debuts at Olympics in Figure Skating Team Event
    South Korea’s Shin Ji-a Debuts at Olympics in Figure Skating Team Event South Korea’s top women’s singles figure skater, Shin Ji-a (Sehwa Girls’ High School), will make her Olympic debut on Thursday as the figure skating team event begins. Shin is scheduled to skate the women’s singles short program in the team event at 9:35 p.m. (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. A standout since her junior days, Shin won silver at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Junior Championships four straight years from 2022 to 2025. This season, however, she has struggled somewhat in international events amid physical changes. She did not contend for medals in two ISU Grand Prix events and finished sixth at last month’s Four Continents Championships. After arriving in Milan on Wednesday, Shin said she had regained confidence. “I think I made up for it to some extent in the free skating at the Four Continents Championships, and I got my confidence back,” she said. Only 10 countries qualify for the figure skating team event based on international results. South Korea are competing for the first time since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, but without a pairs team they will skate only men’s and women’s singles and ice dance, making a podium finish difficult. The event is expected to help athletes preparing for the individual competition get used to the arena atmosphere and ice conditions. Shin will perform her short program to Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20. Before the women’s short program, Lim Hae-na and Kwon Ye (Gyeonggi Province) will skate in the team event ice dance at 5:55 p.m. In curling mixed doubles, the South Korean pair of Kim Sun-young (Gangneung City Hall) and Jeong Young-seok (Gangwon Province Office) will play Britain in their fourth round-robin game at 10:35 p.m. at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Kim and Jeong have lost all three of their matches so far.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-06 06:57:00